1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of clamping a plurality of pipes such as conduit tubes, cables, water pipes or the like to a pipe clamping face of a clamp base secured to a wall surface, a ceiling surface or the like in such a manner that the pipes are clamped to the pipe clamping face with a predetermined space therebetween in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the pipe clamping face. The invention relates also to improvement of a spacer device for use in the method for regulating space between the pipes.
2. Description of the Related Art
For disposing a plurality of pipes with a predetermined vertical space therebetween, according to a typical conventional method, as shown in FIG. 15, a clamp base 54 to be fixedly attached to an attached face W of e.g. a wall surface is constructed as a framework comprising a parallel-cross like assembly which consists of a plurality of crosspieces 54A using angles each having a pipe clamping face 54a and a pair of right and left struts 54B also using angles for fixing and connecting opposed ends of the respective crosspieces 54A with a predetermined vertical space therebetween. Then, after a saddle 55 having a semicircular pipe-holding face extending substantially along the outer peripheral face of the pipe P is fitted on the pipe P mounted on each crosspiece 54A, opposed ends of this saddle 55 are fastened to the crosspiece 54A by means of bolts 56 and nuts 57.
With the above method, however, it is necessary to prepare plural kinds of clamp bases 54 each having a predetermined number of crosspieces 54A in accordance with the number of pipes P to be disposed in the vertical direction. Moreover, between the vertically adjacent crosspieces 54A, a disposing space corresponding to the outer diameter of the pipe P and also a work space for enabling the disposing operation of the pipe P need to be reserved. As a result, this conventional method suffers the problem of inviting disadvantageous enlargement of the entire clamp base 54 as well as enlargement of the disposing pitch of the pipes P.
In an attempt to overcome the above problem, the convention has proposed a modified method illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. In this method, as shown, there is provided a pipe sleeper 50 formed of synthetic resin material and having a semicircular pipe receiving face 51 for receiving the pipe P. In a bottom face 50b of this sleeper 50 opposite to the pipe receiving face 51 thereof, there are defined a first engaging projection 53A and a first engaging recess 53B. On the other hand, the clamp base 54 defines, in its pipe clamping face 54a, a second engaging projection 54A and a second engaging recess 54B. Then, after detachably engaging the first engaging projection 53A and the first engaging recess 53B with the second engaging recess 55B and second engaging projection 55A respectively along the vertical direction, the pipe P is disposed on the pipe receiving face 51 of the pipe sleeper 50. Next, on an upper face 50a of this pipe sleeper 50, another pipe sleeper 50 of the identical shape is placed in the vertically reversed posture, and a third engaging projection 52A and a third engaging recess 52B defined in these sleepers are engaged with each other, whereby the pipe P is clamped between the opposed pipe receiving faces 51 of these two pipe sleepers 50. By repeating these steps in sequence, a plurality of pipes P may be clamped one after another (see e.g. Japanese laid-open utility model gazette No. Sho. 54-155633, Japanese published utility model gazette No. Hei. 7-36222).
According to the conventional pipe clamping method described above, the pipes P are clamped by vertically engaging and connecting the plurality of pipe sleepers 50 one after another to the pipe clamping face 54a of the clamp base 54. Hence, if looseness develops in the engagement between the clamp base 54 and the pipe sleeper 50 and/or the engagement between adjacent pipe sleepers 50, the clamped condition of the pipe P tends to become unstable. In particular, the farther from the pipe clamping face 54a of the clamp base 54, the more unstable the clamped condition of the pipe P.
Therefore, in order to restrict such looseness of the pipes P, it becomes necessary to improve the machining precision of the respective engaging projections and recesses to be formed in the clamp base 54 and pipe sleepers 50 and also to increase the margin or amount of engagement between each engaging projection and recess. Further, the pipe clamping face 54a of the clamp base 54 too needs to have the second engaging projection 55A and second engaging recess 55B specially configured to match the first engaging projection 53A and first engaging recess 53B of the pipe sleeper 50. As a whole, the conventional method tends to invite increased costs as well as increased troubles for the engagement of the pipe sleepers 50.